Daylight
Time is valuable, and should not to be wastes. We create memories with our friends, families, and our loved ones as time passes by. But there’s only twenty-four hours in a day and some people might feel that time is scarce. In 1918, the United State adopted Daylight Saving by President Woodrow Wilson, which is a practice of turning clocks one hour ahead in the spring, and turning one hour back in the winter so that evenings have more daylight and mornings have less. The United State wished that by doing so, it would help economize energy, decrease road accidents, and better organize time.
The United State first hoped to use Daylight Saving as an energy saver and reduce the amount of energy usage by the public. This was once true according to the 1970s US Department of Transportation study, one percent of electricity that was consumed that year was saved through the practice of Daylight Saving. Many experts agree that Daylight Saving helps energy conservation. However, one recent research by a 2007 Department of Energy study reversed the notion and stated that “Daylight Saving time results in an overall increase in residential electricity demand.” This was because many people decided to stay home more than usual. As a result, they wasted energy and time that could have been used more efficiently. Overall, the researchers concluded that Daylight Saving time does save more electricity for lighting; however, it increases the use of electricity for heating and cooling.
In addition to the loss of energy, Daylight Saving also creates a negative consequence of increase of vehicle accidents. People originally hoped that by getting more sleep from Daylight Savings can benefit them in a way that it helps them prevent accidents on the road or at the office—accidents that normally result from fatigue. Since traffic accidents often happen in the dark, Daylight Saving should have meant that we will be able to enjoy more light for evening drives, decreasing accidents and saving a number of lives every year. This was mostly true until a Canadian study of traffic accidents in 1991 and 1992 by Stanley Coren from the University of British Columbia found that there is an eight percent increase in traffic accidents on the Monday after clocks are moved ahead due to the lost hour of sleep. Furthermore, a more recent research study from University of Colorado at Boulder found that in the first six days of Daylight Saving time, there were 302 deaths and a cost of $2.75 billion over a 10-year period.